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2014 World Cup: Coaches Laud Keshi’s 23-Man List

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Some football coaches in
the country have expressed satisfaction with the Super Eagles’ 23-man list coach Stephen Keshi has submitted for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The list was released by the head coach, Stephen Keshi, late last Monday in Philadelphia, the U.S. where the team is camping.
The coaches, who spoke, yesterday in Abuja, said the list was not a bad one considering the quality of the players.
Keshi had reduced from 30 to 23 the list of players who would represent Nigeria at the World Cup competition in Brazil.
The list comprised three goalkeepers, eight defenders, five midfielders and seven attackers.
Coach Peter Dedevbo of the national under-20 female team said there was nothing wrong in the list and that most of them were regular players Keshi had used previously.
“I do not see anything wrong in the list, because the players are regulars in the team, except for a few of them he deemed fit to call.
“I think Keshi brought in the new faces which he discovered could be instrumental to the success of the Super Eagles in Brazil.
“For those who were dropped, he has his reasons which are best known to him. Because he (Keshi) wants to succeed and will love to go with the best legs, so he won’t work against himself.
“And for those he selected, I am confident they will not disappoint Nigerians,’’ Dedevbo said.
Also, a former Assistant Coach of the national under-20 male team, Abimbola Samuel, said he believed that the team would excel with the calibre of players selected.
He said the list was a manifestation of developing youth football in the country with the inclusion of three former under-17 players.
“Coach Keshi knows what he wants and he has been given the opportunity to make the selection, so we must respect his decision.
“I am exceedingly happy that our youth football is paying off now, seeing three former under-17 players, Ramon Azeez, Kenneth Omeruo and Ogenyi Onazi making the trip to Brazil.
“In all, I am satisfied with the list and I wish them the best,’’ Samuel said.
In his reaction, Abdullatif Yusuf, a goalkeeper trainer in the national under-17 female team, said the players were the best the coach could pick.
“I am sure that all the players picked in the different departments are the best Keshi could pick and expect to give us results.
“They are young players and the coach has seen them all, and he cannot select players who will not give him results because he will not want to fail.
“He has seen them all and I am sure he picked them based on what they can deliver in line with his philosophy of play,’’ he said.
Similarly, Erasmus Onuh, a former coach of Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) FC, said he was sure that Keshi made the selection based on merit and what the players could deliver.
“He has the exclusive right to make the selection and I am sure he did that on merit.
“We have seen players who performed excellently in their clubsides, but did not live up to expectations in the national team.
“So, the players he picked are the best players we can present at the World Cup and they are as good as the coach himself,’’ Onuh said.
Super Eagles have been drawn in the first round Group F against Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina for the 32-team tournament starting on June 12.
Nigeria will face Iran in their first group match on June 16, with the second match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 21 and the final group match against Argentina on June 25.

See list on back page.

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Gyokeres Situation, Transfer Under Cloud At Sporting

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Sporting have not received an offer for striker Viktor Gyokeres and there is no gentleman’s agreement for him to leave for £59million, says club president Frederico Varandas.
Sweden international Gyokeres, 27, has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Arsenal after scoring 97 goals in 102 matches during two seasons in Portugal.
He has a 100m euro (£85m) release clause in his contract.
It has been widely reported that, after staying at Sporting last summer, Gyokeres and Sporting agreed he could leave for 70m euros (£59m) this summer.
However, Varandas said the club’s only promise to Gyokeres was that they would not demand his full release clause.
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said.
“To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres, neither today nor last season.”
Gyokeres spent three seasons with Coventry City in the Championship before joining Sporting under Ruben Amorim.
Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana was sporting director at Sporting last summer, when Gyokeres’ agent sought assurances about his leaving if a suitable offer arrived.
“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause,” said Varandas.
“He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now.
“For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m eurors or 90m euros.
“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m euros or 80m euros. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100 million euros.’”

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Concacaf Opposes 64-Team W’Cup Plans

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Concacaf President Victor Montagliani has criticised a proposal to expand the 2030 men’s World Cup to 64 teams.
The plans, put forward by South American governing body Conmebol, have also drawn opposition from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The tournament will be hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, after the opening matches are held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The 2026 World Cup, which will take place across the United States, Mexico and Canada, has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
But Conmebol said it wanted to add more participants to mark the competition’s 100-year anniversary.
“I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players,” Montagliani told Tidesports source
“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so personally, I don’t think that expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table.”
Concacaf is the governing body of football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams was taken in 2017 following a unanimous vote at a Fifa congress.
Fifa’s 75th congress will be held in Paraguay on 15 May, when Conmebol’s proposal could be discussed.
If the proposal is accepted, the 2030 edition would consist of 128 matches, double the number played under the 64-game format used from 1998 and 2022.
In March, Ceferin described the proposal as a “bad idea” while AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa said it would cause “chaos”.
“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams,” said Salman.
“But someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams. Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”

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Brazil Edge Paraguay, Book W’Cup Spot

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Brazil qualified for the 2026 World Cup this week with a 1-0 win against Paraguay in South American qualifying to give Carlo Ancelotti his first win as manager.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jnr scored from close range in the second half, finishing after fine work from Manchester United-bound playmaker Matheus Cunha.
The victory, Ancelotti’s first after a 0-0 draw against Ecuador on his debut last week, means Brazil has now qualified for every edition of the World Cup.
“We needed to win and qualify for the World Cup,” said Vinicius Jr.
“Now the coach will have more time to work. Of course today wasn’t one of our best performances, but the important thing is always to win.
“Now it’s time to celebrate qualifying.”
Elsewhere, World Cup holders Argentina played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Colombia in Buenos Aires.
Liverpool winger Luis Diaz opened the scoring with a fine individual goal, dancing through three defenders before finishing past Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Argentina was reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes remaining when Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a high-boot challenge on Colombia’s Kevin Castano.
But Lionel Messi’s side found an equaliser nine minutes from the end through Lyon’s Thiago Almada, leaving Colombia four points clear of seventh-placed Venezuela.
Ecuador, Argentina’s nearest challengers, booked their spot at next summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States after a 0-0 draw away at Peru.

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