Sports
Emmanuel Amuneke, Finidi, Others Lead Race For Eagles Job
A familiar face in Nigerian football circles, Emmanuel Amuneke carved his legacy as a dynamic winger during his playing days. The former Super Eagles star played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s triumph at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and famously scored two goals in the final to secure the title.
Transitioning seamlessly into coaching, Amuneke’s achievements speak volumes of his acumen on the sidelines. He guided Nigeria’s U17 team led by a teenage Victor Osimhen to FIFA U-17 World Cup glory in 2015, showcasing his adeptness at nurturing young talents and orchestrating success at the international level.
Amuneke has also served as an assistant coach for the Super Eagles in the past and his technical acumen, talent grooming and understanding of Nigerian football make him a compelling choice.
With a successful club and national career, the 53-year-old is sure to have the respect of the squad should he emerge as the next coach of the Eagles.
George Finidi
Renowned for his electrifying pace and precision on the wing, George Finidi left a lasting mark on Nigerian football during his playing days. A key figure in the iconic Ajax team of the 1990s, Finidi’s exploits in Europe earned him widespread acclaim, including a UEFA Champions League triumph in 1995.
Praised with a unique football brain even before transitioning into coaching, Finidi has honed his skills on the sidelines, gaining valuable experience across different coaching roles.
Most recently, he won the Nigerian Premier Football League with Enyimba in the 2022/23 season and his tactical astuteness and understanding of the game position him as a compelling candidate for the Super Eagles job.
One of those who has won it all as a player and achieving great success as a manager, Finidi also served as an assistant coach under Peseiro as the Eagles finished second at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and he is a prime target on basis of continuity in the backroom.
Ndubuisi Egbo
A trailblazer in his own right, Ndubuisi Egbo etched his name in history as the first African coach to lead a European team to a domestic league title when he won the Albanian topflight trophy with FK Tirana. His remarkable feat with Tirana in Albania garnered global attention as he also booked them a spot in the UEFA Champions League, highlighting his managerial prowess and ability to achieve success against the odds.
Egbo played as a goalkeeper during his professional career, and also played for Tirana, winning three trophies with them. He also played for the Nigeria national team, playing 12 matches and competing at two AFCON tournaments.
Egbo’s journey from player to coach epitomises resilience and determination, qualities that could prove invaluable in guiding the Super Eagles to greater heights on the international stage.
Michael Nsien
Michael Nsien’s footballing journey spans continents, with the versatile defender playing in the United States, Canada and United Arab Emirates during his playing days.
The Nigerian-American was also a member of the 2003 Nigerian U-23 National Team that ultimately failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. While his playing career was marked by consistency and commitment, it is Nsien’s foray into coaching that has garnered attention in recent years.
Nsien is part of a new generation of coaches currently saddled with the task of managing America’s future football talents and the gaffer has proven his mettle since he changed mantle from playing to coaching. Nsien, who holds a US Soccer Pro License (the first African-American to earn it in 2020) and UEFA ‘A’ License, is seen by his peers in the US as a trailblazer in a sector with very few black coaches.
Nsien’s coaching tenure at Tulsa Roughnecks FC in the United Soccer League showcased his ability to instill discipline, tactics, and cohesion within a team, laying the groundwork for success on the pitch. He enjoyed a decorated youth coaching career with Tulsa Soccer Club as Nsien won eight state championships from 2010 to 2018. In his three seasons as the Roughnecks full-time head coach, Nsien led the team to consecutive USL Championship Playoff berths in 2020 and 2021.
Thereafter he caught the attention of the United States Soccer Federation officials, who named him their U-16 MYNT in November 2022. Nsien had a successful spell with the squad, guiding them to a 4-1-1 international record with wins against England, Japan, Nigeria and Wales before serving as an assistant to interim USMNT head coach B.J. Callaghan during the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup and then in September last year, the USSF again appointed Nsien to manage their U-19 team.
The Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Austine Eguavoen currently occupies the interim coaching role for the Super Eagles. As the clamor for a Nigerian coach to lead the national team persists among fans, Amuneke, Finidi, Egbo, and Nsien are laudable options as the stage is set for a new era in Nigerian football.
Liverpool’s season of abject misery worsened as they were beaten with embarrassing ease by a hugely impressive Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s Premier League champions were looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat at Manchester City, but instead ran into a Forest side revitalised under new manager Sean Dyche and looking back to their best.
Liverpool head coach Slot gave £125m British record signing Alexander Isak a start, but he was totally anonymous once more and only lasted 67 minutes.
Forest went ahead after 33 minutes when defender Murillo shot powerfully past fit-again Liverpool keeper Alisson to subdue an already anxious Anfield.
Igor Jesus had a second ruled out for handball, but Forest doubled their advantage 39 seconds after the break when former Liverpool defender Neco Williams set up Nicola Savona for a crisp finish in front of The Kop.
Liverpool could barely raise a response in a desperate display, Forest increasing their lead 12 minutes from time when Morgan Gibbs-White scored after Alisson saved from Omari Hutchinson.
It means Liverpool, who lie 11th before Saturday’s late fixture, have now lost six of their past seven Premier League games as Slot’s near £450m summer spending spree comes under further scrutiny.
Forest, meanwhile, are surging away from the relegation zone and are up to 16th.
Michael Olise scored twice and provided a hat-trick of assists as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich came from two goals down to thrash Freiburg.
The visitors stunned the defending champions by taking a 2-0 lead after just 17 minutes when Yuito Suzuki scored from close range and Johan Manzambi rose highest to head home Jan-Niklas Beste’s corner.
Bayern, who had not lost in the league since March, responded superbly and had restored parity by half-time.
Teenager Lennart Karl fired into the bottom corner from Olise’s pass in the 22nd minute and set up the Frenchman for a fierce finish in first-half injury-time, although Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu should have done better.
Bayern took control in the second period as Dayot Upamecano headed home Olise’s corner to put them ahead for the first time.
England captain Harry Kane netted his 14th league goal of the campaign on the hour mark, before Olise made it three assists when he threaded a pass through for Nicolas Jackson to finish at the first time of asking in the 78th minute.
Winger Olise completed a sensational afternoon with his second of the game six minutes later, driving at the Freiburg defence and curling into the far corner.
A 10th victory in the first 11 games left Bayern eight points clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, while Freiburg remain 10th in the standings.
Vincent Kompany’s side visit Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday with both sides having a perfect record of four wins so far in the league phase of the competition.
AS FAR Morocco Win African Women’s Champions League (8)
AS FAR held firm to beat debutants ASEC Mimosas 2-1 in the African Women’s Champions League final and become continental champions for the second time.
Hanane Ait El Haj put the Moroccan club ahead from the penalty spot in the 13th minute after Safa Banouk had been tripped by Aboa Yapo.
ASEC Mimosas rallied after the break and Ami Priscal Diallo netted a fine header from Sopie Brou’s cross to drag the Ivory Coast club level 10 minutes into the second half.
But AS FAR were handed a second spot-kick in the closing stages when Noura Diarra committed a rash challenge on Sofia Bouftini.
This time it was Zineb Redouani who stepped up to stroke home in the 85th minute and restore her side’s lead.
Asastasie Gbehi came close to forcing extra time but she poked wide of the post in stoppage time, and the centre-back was sent off after the full-time whistle for dissent.
AS FAR move level with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns as two-time winners of the title, having first lifted the trophy in 2022.
The Rabat-based side will now take on Chinese’s Wuhan Jiangda on 14 December for a place at next year’s Fifa Women’s Champions Cup.
The winner of that match will face European champions Arsenal in the semi-finals of the inaugural competition early next year in London.
Barcelona moved to the top of La Liga on Saturday with an emphatic win over 10-man Athletic Club in their first match at the Spotify Camp Nou since May 2023.
Robert Lewandowski scored their first goal back in their iconic home, which had been closed for extensive renovations, in the fourth minute.
Ferran Torres then netted twice in the second half, each assisted by wonderful skill from Lamine Yamal, who was aged just 15 in his only previous Nou Camp appearance.
Fermin Lopez also struck in the 48th minute, while visiting midfielder Oihan Sancet was sent off for a crude challenge on Lopez just six minutes later.
Large sections of the Nou Camp remained closed for the game, which was played in front of a 45,157 crowd.
The rebuilding work, which was originally scheduled to be finished in November 2024, will eventually increase the stadium’s capacity to 105,000.
Barca moved to 31 points from 13 games and top on goal difference, but Real Madrid had the chance to replace them, if they won at Elche in their game in hand, late last night.
Poland striker Lewandowski got his side off to the perfect start when he drove his low shot in off the arm of Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simon for an eighth league goal of the season.
The home side extended their lead in first-half added time as Yamal’s superb pass off the outside of his foot set up Torres for a good finish.
Lopez made it 3-0 three minutes after the restart, drilling a shot past Simon from near the penalty spot.
Sancet’s tackle from behind on Lopez was initially deemed a yellow card, but upgraded to red after the referee consulted with the video assistant referee (VAR).
And just before full-time, Yamal twisted and turned before sending Torres away to claim his second goal, which was originally disallowed for offside but overturned following a VAR check.
It was a dream return to their ground, with the reigning Spanish champions having mostly played at the 55,000 capacity Olympic Stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill since renovations on the Nou Camp began in June 2023.
They were forced to play two matches at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium, home to their women’s team, this season after failing to get a permit for the Nou Camp through safety reasons.
Pogba Returns To Action In Ligue 1 (6)
Paul Pogba played his first minutes of professional football in more than two years as he came off the bench during Monaco’s 4-1 defeat by Rennes at the weekend.
The 32-year-old was introduced in the 85th minute at Rennes’ Roazhon Park, though his side were already four goals and a player down, following a red card for captain Denis Zakaria.
French World Cup winner Pogba broke down in tears when he joined Ligue 1 club Monaco last summer, after his four-year doping ban was reduced to 19 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
Pogba’s last competitive appearance was 811 days ago, when he featured for Juventus in a Serie A match against Empoli on 3 September 2023. He left Juventus by mutual consent in November 2024.
Pogba was provisionally banned from football for four years after a positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in February 2024, following a doping test in August 2023.
Pogba maintained it was a mistake and that he was given a supplement without knowing it contained a banned substance.
The former Manchester United midfielder was permitted to return to football in March following the decision to reduce his ban.
Pogba watched from the bench as goals from Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Mahdi Camara, Breel Embolo and Ludovic Blas put Rennes out of sight.
Fellow substitute Mika Biereth pulled a goal back for Monaco in the 95th minute, but a second consecutive 4-1 defeat means Sebastien Pocognoli’s side drop to eighth in the table with 20 points after 13 games.
