Sports
Profiles Of The Glory-Chasing Golden Eaglets
John Obuh has chosen 21 players to attempt to retain the Fifa Under-17 World Cup trophy for Nigeria, starting today in Abuja.
Here is a pen pix of all 21 glory hunters for the Golden Eaglets.
PLAYER PROFILES
NAME: Dami Danjuma PAUL
DATE OF BIRTH: 18/12/1992
CLUB: OUSFORD ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
First choice goalkeeper who showed great poise and agility all through the preparation period.
NAME: Aigbe OLIHA
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/02/1993
CLUB: IGBINO BABES FC (NIGERIA)
Defender with great concentration and ability.
NAME: Mohammed Goyi ALIYU
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/02/1993
CLUB: NIGER TORNADOES FC (NIGERIA)
Lanky defender who has flair for joining the attack.
NAME: Ogenyi Eddy ONAZI
DATE OF BIRTH: 25/12/1992
CLUB: MY PEOPLE FC (NIGERIA)
Talented midfielder who hails from Benue State in the North Central region. Attended Township Primary School, Jos.
NAME: Fortune CHUKWUDI
DATE OF BIRTH: 18/11/1992
CLUB: A & B ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Team captain who defends with resolution. From Mbatoli Local Council of Imo State.
NAME: Kenneth Josiah OMERUO
DATE OF BIRTH: 17/10/1993
CLUB: HARD FOUNDATION (NIGERIA)
Lion –hearted defender who attended LEA Primary School, Jabi and hails from Ikwuano Local Council of Abia State.
NAME: White George AGWUOCHA
DATE OF BIRTH: 13/01/1993
CLUB: KWARA UNITED FC (NIGERIA)
One of few players in the Nigeria team who has experience from playing in the top division. Midfielder with vision and plenty of action.
NAME: Stanley Osaretin OKORO
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/12/1992
CLUB: HEARTLAND FC (NIGERIA)
Nicknamed ‘Little Messi’, another highly –experienced performer, who at his young age was instrumental to Heartland FC of Owerri’s qualification for the prestigious CAF Champions League final.
NAME: Abdul Jeleel AJAGUN
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/02/1993
CLUB: DOLPHIN FC (NIGERIA)
Discovered during the annual Shell Cup competition, Ajagun is on the books of Premier League returnees Dolphin FC of Port Harcourt. Visionary midfielder with a good shot.
NAME: Olanrewaju Ayobami KAYODE
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/05/1993
CLUB: MARVELLOUS FC (NIGERIA)
Bustling striker who hails from Odo-Owa Local Council of Ekiti State. A fighter in the attack
NAME: Terry ENVOH
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/12/1992
CLUB: MIGHTY JETS FC (NIGERIA)
Has useful experience from playing for the crowd –pulling Jos team, which used to be in the top division. Envoh is one of the players being looked upon to deliver this championship to Nigeria.
NAME: Chukwujike MGBAM
DATE OF BIRTH: 22/04/1992
CLUB: STANDARD FC ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Another lion –hearted defender who attended God’s Favour International School and is from Abia State
NAME: Omoh OJABU
DATE OF BIRTH: 14/12/1992
CLUB: DOLPHIN FC (NIGERIA)
Ajagun’s team –mate at Dolphin FC. Powerful shooter who scored five in the 14-1 demolition of Qatari Sports Club in a friendly in Doha.
NAME: Sani Shehu EMMANUEL
DATE OF BIRTH: 23/12/1992
CLUB: MY PEOPLE FC (NIGERIA)
Attacking midfielder who also loves to defend. Like Ojabu, hails from Etsako Local Council of Edo State
NAME: Yusuf Olaitan OTUBANJO
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/09/1992
CLUB: EMMANUEL AMUNIKE ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Supporting striker who attended Solan Primary School and is from Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State.
NAME: Amos Ossai IZUCHUKWU
DATE OF BIRTH: 09/12/1993
CLUB: TEAM LAGOS (NIGERIA)
One of the goalkeepers, who also showed great agility during preparation.
NAME: Obinna Emmanuel OKORO
DATE OF BIRTH: 30/12/1992
CLUB: YOUNG STARS FC (NIGERIA)
Defensive midfielder with great skill and audacity. He hails from Onicha Local Council of Ebonyi State, and attended Town School, Emene.
NAME: Edafe EGBEDI
DATE OF BIRTH: 05/08/1993
CLUB: BISALLO FC (NIGERIA)
Fast–paced winger who is one of Coach Obuh’s aces.
NAME: Deji Mayowa JOEL
DATE OF BIRTH: 23/11/1992
CLUB: ECO ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Good midfielder who distributes well. From Ifelodun Local Council of Kwara State.
NAME: Ramon Olamilekan AZEEZ
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/12/1992
CLUB: FUTURE PRO ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Another talented midfielder, from Iwajowa Local Council of Oyo State.
NAME: John FELAGHA
DATE OF BIRTH: 27/07/1994
CLUB: ASPIRE ACADEMY (QATAR)
Young John Felagha attended Kpansia Secondary School, Yenagoa and was discovered by Moses Aduku, then made the cut to be taken to the world–renowned Aspire Academy, Doha after the Nigeria finals in 2007. He joined the Nigeria team when they went for their final preparation camp at Aspire in October.
THE TECHNICAL CREW
HEAD COACH: Sam John OBUH
ASSISTANT COACH 1: Monday ODIGIE
ASSISTANT COACH 2: Abimbola SAMUEL
GOALKEEPERS’ TRAINER: Suleiman SHUAIBU
TEAM DOCTOR: Charles AGADU
TEAM PHYSIOTHERAPIST: Ejike Victor ONYEMEANU
TEAM COORDINATOR: Garba LAWAL
TEAM SECRETARY: Sirajo HASSAN
EQUIPMENT MANAGER: Shehu ADO
CAMP COMMANDANT: Oriola MICHAEL
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.