Sports
Sochaux Reports Newcastle To FIFA
French club Sochaux have asked Fifa to intervene to stop Newcastle contacting Modibo Maiga without their permission.
The Ligue 1 side said they twice asked Newcastle to end their interest in the 23-year-old Mali international but were unsuccessful both times.
The striker, who has three years left on his contract with Sochaux, scored 15 league goals in 36 starts last season.
He had refused to train with the club in an attempt to push through a move to the Premier League club.
He also missed Sochaux’s 2-1 win at Nancy last Sunday. Asked about the complaint, manager Alan Pardew said: “I can’t tell you anything about that.
“My brief is to highlight players I think would take the club forward, and the club’s job is to get it over the line. I am not involved in that.”
A statement on the club’s official website said: “FC Sochaux-Montbeliard sent a referral to Fifa with the aim of obtaining [assurances] on the part of Newcastle United that they will stop their contacts with Modibo Maiga, who is under contract until 2014.
“This [contact] is in violation of Article 18 of the current international regulations.
“This measure comes after Sochaux demanded without success, in an official manner and on two occasions, that the English club put a stop to their actions.”
Maiga was quoted by French newspaper L’Equipe as saying: “I met everybody and they want me. England is a dream.”
Sochaux president Alexandre Lacombe disclosed that Maiga had now rejoined the squad ahead of their Europa League second leg tie at home to Metalist Kharkiv last week.
Maiga boycotted the first leg in Ukraine, which finished goalless.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.