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Stakeholders Blame NFF, Players For Eagles Failure

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NFF President, Amaju Pinnick

NFF President, Amaju Pinnick

Nigeria’s Super Eagles’
failure to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled to hold in Gabon, has continued to attract mixed reactions. It is the second time in a row that Nigeria’s flag will fail to fly at the biggest continental football fiesta.
Last Tuesday the Pharaohs of Egypt dashed the dream of Super Eagles to attend the 2017 African Cup of Nations, after they pipped the Eagles by a lone goal barely four days after holding them to 1-1 draw in Kaduna.
This is the second time Nigeria Flag will not be hoisted in AFCON tournament after failing to defend their title in 2015.
The Eagles have lifted the AFCON trophy three times, 1980, 1994 and 2013 .
In his reaction, ace sports writer, Alambo Datonye, said it is unfortunate that a big country like Nigeria failed to qualify for AFCON, saying that the nation is living in her past glory.
Datonye noted that Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) principally caused the failure of the national team, because they don’t have good administrative structure to pilot the affairs of the game.
“Honestly it is really unfortunate that Nigeria could not qualify twice consecutively. NFF should also share the blame because of poor administrative policy and structure.
Is not all about coaching and having abundant talents, but it takes more of good policies and structure”, Datonye said.
According to him, one of the major reasons for the country’s failure is high level of politics within the confines of the  game, also players arriving late to camp whenever there is international engagement.
“There are a lot of politics even in the game of football which is not good for the nation”, he stated.
Jim Udede-Opiki, a sportswriter and analyst described Eagles failure as terrible, saying that the situation would make the country lose her respect globally.
Udede-Opiki also blamed NFF over their administrative lapses, mostly the appointment of Sunday Oliseh and his premature resignation which set the preparations backward.
“I will really say that the situation is a sad one and terrible. Our two times consecutive failure to attend the AFCON will definitely make the country lose her respect internationally interms of football.
NFF should also share part of the blame over the appointment of Oliseh” Udede-Opiki said.
In his reaction, sportswriter and presenter, Emeka Denar, said it is highly disappointing for a team like Nigeria failed twice, and blamed NFF largely to employ three coaches within the period, saying that  contributed to the failure because there was inconsistency in the team.
According to him, NFF should invest in our local league, to enable the country have a formidable home based Super Eagles that can have the capacity to beat any team.
“NFF has failed Nigerians and their apology is not accepted by me because they don’t have a good structure that can develop our football.
Another problem is that our players report late to camp, that is also affecting the play, because the players hardly blend. I want NFF to invest on our local league”, Denar said.
Chairman Rivers United Supporters Club, Franklin Owhor, also expressed sadness over  non-qualification of Super Eagles, but blamed Samson Siasia for changing the winning team.
According to him, Siasia should have  combined both foreign and home based players.
“Siasia changing the winning team to me was the cause of our failure, I know that the home based players are more committed when it comes to national assignment”, Owhor said.

 

Tonye Orabere

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Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie  A Lead

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Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.

Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.

Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.

Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.

But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.

Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.

It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.

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Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool 

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A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.

Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.

“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.

For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.

Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.

His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.

Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.

Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.

The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.

After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.

“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”

Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.

The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.

“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”

He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.

“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”

 

Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.

The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).

Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.

Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.

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Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors

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Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.

Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.

Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.

Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.

Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.

The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.

 

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