The decision to hand William Troost-Ekong the role of assistant captain of the Super Eagles was one which came as a surprise to many base on how the role of captain is decided in the Super Eagles.

Usually the parameter is the player who is the longest serving in the team as a regular but that was broken in the case of Ekong who was picked ahead of several other senior players .

Owngoalnigeria.com gathered that coach Gernot Rohr was impressed with his commitments on the pitch of play and shortly before the 4-2 friendly win against Argentina decided to hand him the captain armband.

Ekong showed no sign of someone new to the band in the game hence the decision to keep him as third vice captain behind Ogenyi Onazi heading into the World Cup while Leon Balogun who was captain before the friendly game was dropped completely.

John Obi Mikel was the captain going into the 2018 World Cup with Ahmed Musa as his vice while Onazi was relegated to the bench all through the tournament.

Mikel retired and Musa took over as captain with Onazi out of the team totally Ekong stepped up to the role of vice captain for being consistent since 2016 ahead of others like Odion Ighalo, Wilfred Ndidi and Kenneth Omeruo .

Osas Mahawi

The English Premier League is one of the most-awaited comebacks in the world of sports and in the world of football, in particular. After a long period of being out of the game due to the restrictions placed by the government in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the league is now set to come back this month of June, and fans and enthusiasts are all excited to get back to the game.

As you get ready to go to betting sites such as Silentbet.com to place your best on games as early as now, here are some other things you need to know about the Premier League coming back to the field after three months.

When will the Premier League go back?
The Premier League is set to resume games on its current season on June 17, 2020. The first two games for the reopening day would be games that were left unplayed for the match day 28 of the current season.

To kick off the game reopening, fans would finally be able to see Manchester City face-off with Arsenal, as well as Aston Avilla go against Sheffield United. Following that, games that were supposed to be played from match days 30-38 would be played according to schedule.

Where can you watch the Premier League?

Since it is not clear whether there would be changes and adjustments when it comes to living audiences for Premier League games, or whether if a live audience would be allowed at all, most people go to TV and online broadcasting of the game to watch and support their favorite teams. However, where would you be able to watch Premier League games?

There are three ways for you to watch games: first is through Sky Sports, second is through Amazon Prime, and the third is through BBC. UK residents who have their own television sets would be able to watch some games live on the BBC channel, as it is available to everyone for free. ON the other hand, you would need to have a working Sky Sports digital TV box in order to watch Premier League games for free through Sky. Finally, Amazon Prime has already confirmed that they would stream Premier League games for free with no Prime membership required.

What are the challenges for Premier League
As anyone might have expected already, coming back is not very easy and simple for the Premier League. With so many games that needs to be done in a very short period of time, one of the biggest challenges that the league would face is player exhaustion.

With some many games to play but with so little gap, league teams are calling for special considerations. One of the adjustments proposed by some teams include increasing the allowed substitution in a game to up to five times, as well as increasing the number of allowed players on the bench to up to nine players. This will help players conserve energy and not be too exhausted per game as there will be more switching and more players to switch with another.

However, all of these proposals are still pending. They will be voted on before becoming official. This, on the other hand, raises concern for fairness over some teams, as worries of teams with bigger reserve roster might have unfair advantage if substitutions and bench limit will get increased.

Another challenge that the Premier League will face upon its return is other factors that might affect the ability of the league to finish the current seasons in such a short period of time. What if something that is out of the hands of the organizers happened in the middle of the reopened season? The league can no longer afford further delays, as they are under the obligation to finish the season by July 25 or 26. If ever some games cannot be played, the question of rating and ranking technicalities are yet to be decided upon.

As lockdowns and government restrictions in the US start to slowly ease up across various states, more and more activities are expected to make a comeback. Businesses and establishments are slowly making a comeback, too. On the other hand, NFL fans have been asking: will there be a delay in the season kick-off for this year? If things go as scheduled, the NFL is set to start the season for this year on September 10. However, it seems that players may be facing possible challenges and changes due to the effect brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Before you get ready to go back to sports betting and take advantage of offers like using your betwinner promo code, here are some of the most important things you need to know about the upcoming return of NFL for its new season.

Pay cuts for players of the NFL?

According to the NFL website, the main focus of their preparations is to have the season going on time as scheduled in the safest way possible. On the other hand, there are also other pressing concerns that they need to address, and one of them is the financial crisis they are facing and will continue to face.

Since there is a huge revenue loss predicted to hit the NFL due to the changes the pandemic brought, the league is getting ready to take on contingency measures for their finances–and this could impact all the teams that play on the league. One of the steps that the league is looking to take may involve taking pay cuts from the salary of the players.

According to rumors and sources, part of the contingency plan that the NFL is putting together involves a suggestion is for players for the league to take pay cuts for their base salary for the year 2020. This is so that the league may be able to recover and make up for the losses that they are expecting to happen this year.

While NFL is yet to officially announce what their final decision on this matter would be, this is something that most sporting leagues and series are facing right now.

Health safety protocols for the NFL

While the NFL organizers are putting together health and safety protocols that players and other league employees will follow once the season officially starts, most of it is still in development period and is being considered through a test of trial and error.

Part of what the NFL is working on right now is how they would be able to minimize infection and spread of the virus as much as possible. They know, however, that the challenge is that players and other employees would have other places to go to than a game–and who knows who they will be with and where they would be by then.

Can fans attend NFL 2020 games?

The question of whether fans would be allowed to watch any NFL games live this seasons, or if the live audience for sports games would be allowed at all, lies on the regulations and restrictions each state would have by the time the season opens.

Part of the contingency plan that the NLF is preparing for is the possibility of admitting only a limited number of fans per game. This is so that physical distancing measures can be followed. Also, players should expect to be required to wear a mask if ever live audience would be allowed at all.

To help you picture it, imagine a 60,000-seater stadium. With physical distancing implemented, the live audience would now only be around 15,000 people. Other would be forced to find alternative means to watch games live.

Following a three-month hiatus, the English Premier League is now set to return this month of June. With that, fans can now witness matches that they have long been waiting for.

While you may be planning to take advantage of sports betting offers like a bet9ja bonus code to use for the League’s return, here are some ways you can watch the Premier League for free, both on TV and online.

When does the Premier League restart?

To recall, the Premier League was cut short due to the restrictions imposed in connection to the pandemic of the coronavirus. The League fixtures were stopped and two games were not played on its match day 28 schedules. This is where the Premier League will pick up once it goes back.

The first game for the comeback would open on June 17, 2020. Two matches will be played that day, and these matches are the two matches from match day 28 that was left behind. Matches between Manchester City vs. Arsenal and Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United will take place on that day.

After that, the Premier League will proceed as scheduled according to match days 30 to 38.

Which channels will show matches for free?

Now, not everyone is able to watch matches live. Even though the situation of the pandemic has calmed down a little, there are still people who would rather stay inside the premises of their homes instead of going out to watch a game of football. Other, on the other hand, simply do not have the means to go to a match for now, no matter how much they want to support their favorite teams in their games.

So, how would a fan be able to watch matches for free? So far, Sky Sports, Amazon Prime, and BBC will make it possible for the people to watch matches for free, and some of them even live. Here is a breakdown of how you can watch Premier League matches for free.

Sky Sports will be able to offer 25 matches or fixtures for people to watch for free. Amazon Prime, on the other hand, had already promised that four Premier League games will be free to watch through the streaming service. Lastly, the BBC will stream four matches live. This will bring the total game counts that will be shown for free to 33. Since there are only 92 games left for this season that means that about a third of the entire game count would be available for the people to watch for free.

How to watch Premier League for free

Since we already know now where to watch the Premier League for free, the next step would be to make sure that you have access to these channels and services.

BBC is probably the easiest one to access among the three providers, especially for people from the UK. If you are from the UK, all you need is a television set and you are good to go. This is because BBC is one of the free TV channels available for everyone.

For people outside the UK, the channel is also accessible through the internet via the BBC UK website. There is also the BBC app that makes it possible to stream the channel through a web browser or a mobile device.

To watch games that will be shown on Sky Sports, you would have to have a Sky Digital TV box. You can then stream the game on their specified schedule on Sky Pick.

As for Amazon Prime, Amazon has already confirmed that you would not need an Amazon Prime subscription to stream the games that they would show on their platform.

If there is one thing that all people can agree on about the pandemic of the coronavirus is that it caught the entire world off-guard. Even the biggest countries were not able to prepare enough for it.

Before most people even realized what hit the world, lockdowns are being implemented all over, and the government is giving strict stay-at-home orders. As such, a lot of sectors and businesses were affected as most of them were forced to close down for several months.

Even major sporting events were forced to postpone temporarily of calling the entire seasons off for the meantime, in order to comply with the safety and health measures imposed by the government.

With that, people who used to bet on sports were left with nothing to bet on. However, at the same time, more people have discovered the world of online sports betting. More people saw and started to believe that online sports betting may very well be the future of sports gambling, even post-coronavirus pandemic.

Now that the lockdowns and the stay-at-home orders are starting to ease up, sports betting apps like the 10cric mobile app will start to get new odds and betting slots. This is because sporting events are slowly coming back to the game one-by-one.

But what makes online sports betting the future of online sports gambling? Here are some reasons.

It is easy

Online sports betting is fit both for long-time bettors, experts, as well as newbies in the world of betting. Unlike in real-life sports betting, most online sports betting apps make it easier for people to place their bets on their favorite games and teams.

Additionally, there are virtually countless online sports betting bookmakers you can choose from. Each of these bookmakers has its own exciting and attractive offers. Make sure that your bookmaker is legit, though!

It is convenient

One of the biggest differences between online sports betting is that it can be done virtually anywhere and everywhere. You can also place your bets anytime you want. Since online sports betting apps and sites are based on the internet, there is no need for you to physically go out and place your best on the game you are betting on.

Virtual sports betting

One thing that had been a big bummer for many sports enthusiasts, as well as sports bettors, is the cancellation and postponement of almost all sporting events around the world. Since there is no game played in any sport, there are no games to bet on. That is true, right? In a way, it is–but not if you are into online sports betting.

In online sports betting, there is an option for players to bet on what is called virtual sports games. These virtual sports games are online, digital games that bettors can also place their wager on. Most of the times, they are fantasy games that pit popular players and teams in real life. Matches and team-ups that has never happened in a real-life setting may take place in virtual sports games. On other times, it is simply just a fantasy game between two computer teams.

Virtual sports work through the use of an algorithm that takes odds into consideration, making the game odds and outcome as random and as real as it would have been, had it been a real-life game. In the absence of real sports for the past several months, many people have discovered online sports betting and virtual sports as well.

Now that the pandemic is starting to ease up and restrictions are easing up as well, most people now have two options–to bet on real sports online, or to keep on betting on virtual sports games.

…Family & Football will help in identifying young footballers across the country

Integral and Family & Football today announce a new joint venture partnership focused on augmenting the level of football talent identification, development and management, on the African continent.

After almost a year of planning and working, Integral, the leading African sport management company, now enhances its service offering by adding comprehensive professional talent management services to its suite of services, having sealed this strategic alliance with one of the most prominent global football agencies, Family and Football.

Family & Football was founded by Dr. Erkut Sogut, a lawyer and registered FA intermediary, and has a foothold in many locations across the globe. The agency came into prominence by negotiating one of the most lucrative player contracts in Premier League history for Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil whom it also represents. The joint venture partnership is a landmark achievement for Integral’s football division and the experience of Family & Football will assist the company in providing quality, first class representation to the flood of football talent dotted all over Africa.

Earlier in the year, Integral hosted Dr. Erkut Sogut when he visited Nigeria with his close friend and associate Misha Sher, VP Sport & Entertainment at Mediacom, who played a crucial role in forming the relationship between both companies.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Erkut Sogut said, “Nigeria, Africa and Integral are strategic partners for us. We believe in their potential. And with Integral we will showcase African footballers in a different way because they deserve it. The continent deserves it. It has some of the best talents I have ever seen like Jay – Jay Okocha, Kanu and many more like them. But our ties extend beyond football. I am passionate about education and I see the quality of people here; desirous of learning, of leaving a positive impact in the world. So together (with Integral) we will support them with our work”.

For students and professionals who are passionate about football and education, MyAssignmentHelp.com offers essay help online to assist in academic success while pursuing their dreams.

On his part Abimbola Ilo, Managing Director of Integral, commented thus: “We are extremely excited to be working fully now with Erkut and his team, joining forces together to become an even more dominant force in football representation, management and player trading. Importantly the scope of the joint venture extends beyond just the representation side of things and involves education and charity too which are equally important to us.

On his part Abimbola Ilo, Managing Director of Integral, commented thus: “We are extremely excited to be working fully now with Erkut and his team, joining forces together to become an even more dominant force in football representation, management and player trading. Importantly the scope of the joint venture extends beyond just the representation side of things and involves education and charity too which are equally important to us.”

About Integral

Based in Lagos in Nigeria, Integral is one of Africa’s leading sports management companies with industry leadership in media rights, sponsorships, talent management, hospitality and events. Recent mandates have included appointment as the exclusive sales agency in Nigeria for the Official Hospitality Programme for both the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France, as well as the exclusive free-to-air media rights holder for the Premier League in the territory of Nigeria.

For more information, contact: Murtala Lanval, Head Talent Management: [email protected]​Website: www.integralsande.com

About Family & Football

“Founded in London, where the HQ still remains, Family & Football has opened branches in various countries across Europe including Austria, Germany & Spain as well as Turkey and the Middle East. The company currently represents senior players across the globe. It has now added a host of top youth talent to its roster, many of whom represent their countries on the world stage. Family and Football’s ethos remains working together with the family members of the players in an open and transparent way in order to maximum the on and off field potential of the player during and after his or her career.”

For more information, contact: Jack Pentol-Levy: [email protected] Website: www.famandfoot.com

Santa Clara left back, Zaidu Sanusi put up an impressive display in his team’s stunning 3-2 win over Sporting Braga in the Portuguese Premeira Liga.

Sanusi who is being monitored by Gernot Rohr was deployed in an advanced role in the game and bagged an assist in the encounter.

In the 20th minute, the Nigerian defender gave away a penalty that was converted by Fransergio. 14 minutes later, Zaidu Sanusi turned provider for Thiago Santana as Santa Clara levelled things up in what was an end-to-end affair.

Braga took the lead again in the second half through Trincao but it took just 10 minutes for the home side to respond again with a goal via Thiago Santana with Sanusi involved in the build-up

Both sides kept searching for a third goal, as Braga pressed via Trincao but Santa Clara had the last laugh with the winning strike off the boots of Carlos.

Zaidu Sanusi was taken off in the 84th minute but it was enough time for him to give away a penalty and restore glory via an assist. He had two shots on target and was caught offside twice.

Godwin, N.

Former captain of the senior national team of Nigeria John Obi Mikel has given his blessings to Rangers of Scotland midfielder Joe Aribo to inherit his number ten jersey .

Mikel wore the number for years with the senior national team of Nigeria following the retirement of Austin Okocha who was also the custodian of the number for years.

Aribo picked up the shirt in his first game for Nigeria in a 2-2 draw against Ukraine , a game where he found the back of the net. He retained the shirt in the next friendly game against Brazil and also scored in a 1–1 draw.

His performances saw him keep the shirt number for the AFCON 2021 qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho respectively although he didn’t find the back of the net.

Mikel has however seen enough to anoint him as the man to inherit his number according to a close associate of the former Chelsea ace.

“Mikel was curios to see who will inherit the number. He thought it will be Alex Iwobi but when Aribo excelled in the number he gave his approval in his usual humorous style”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

“ His prayer is for Aribo to excel with it for the good of the Super Eagles . It’s an iconic number that means a lot to Nigerians and Aribo according to Mikel is fit to wear it”.

Moses Simon has won another individual award at French Ligue 1 side Nantes with his goal voted as the goal of the season, Owngoalnigeria.com reports.

Simon’s headed goal against Nice was voted as the goal of the season which takes the individual award he has won at the club to two in one week after picking up the award of player of the season.

The goal was also listed among the the goals of the decade at Nantes. It was voted as the 25th best goal scored for the club in the last decade.

He joined the club on loan from Levante where he was told he won’t be sure of getting games. Nantes have already confirmed their intention to sign him permanently for a fee around €5 million.

The deal is expected to go through without any hassles as the option of signing him permanently was included in the loan deal that was agreed before he joined the Ligue 1 side last season.

A return of 9 goals and 8 assists have also led to talks of an imminent transfer from Nantes once the deal becomes permanent with Rennes, Lyon and Hertha Berlin keen on his signature.

English Premier League leaders Liverpool will not be pushing to sign Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze when the summer transfer window opens for transfer .

Coach of Liverpool Jurgen Klopp is a big admirer of the Nigerian and has tried to sign him twice during the last two transfer windows before settling for Takumi Minamino.

When the transfer window opens Chukwueze won’t be among the targets of Liverpool even though they are prepared to let Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri leave if a suitable offer comes in.

The reason is still tied to the buy out clause in the deal of the 21 year old with Villarreal not willing to drop a penny from the €60 million stated in his contract .

With the impact of Coronavirus on the finances of clubs due to the lockdown, Liverpool see Chukwueze as too expensive to be signed this summer and that will likely mean another season at Villarreal for the Nigerian.