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Morocco’s Olympic Coach Worried By Effects Of Ramadan

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Morocco’s Olympic coach, Pim Verbeek has admitted he had no idea how his team will react to playing London 2012 matches during the holy month of Ramadan.

The month of fasting for Muslims, which began in most countries on Friday, will end well after the Olympics’ Closing Ceremony has taken place on 12 August.

“This is a new world for me so I have no idea how [Ramadan] is going to influence my players,” said Verbeek.  “Maybe half of them will be fantastic and maybe half will be disastrous.”

“That makes it a little unpredictable to be honest.”

The Dutchman, who led Australia at the 2010 World Cup before opting to work with Morocco’s reserves, is preparing his side to play Honduras, Japan and Spain in Group C.

The Moroccans, who will be based in the Scottish city Glasgow from Saturday, open their campaign against Central Americans Honduras in Glasgow on 26 July before meeting the Japanese in Newcastle on 29 July and Spain in Manchester on 1 August.

To enable the Moroccans to deal with Ramadan, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) has granted the North Africans permission to train at specifically-late hours.

“Our players are very strict in their religious behaviour so all of them shall do a normal Ramadan,” Verbeek told Tidesports source.

“Which means that from 0330 to 2130 Glasgow time they will neither eat nor drink.

“They are used to it of course but are not used to play such an important tournament with such big opponents in this situation.

“We knew about the timing before, so it’s not a surprise – the only surprise is how my players will react when they cannot train and prepare to their maximum.”

The North Africans – who will be led by Atlas Lions captain Houssine Kharja – will be appearing at their seventh Olympic football tournament, and bidding to reach the knock-out stages for only the second time.

They reached the second round in Munich in 1972 but have failed to make any impact at their four subsequent appearances in 1984, 1992, 2000 and 2004.

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Super Eagles To Switch To Adidas Kits

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Nigeria’s Super Eagles are set to begin a new kit era in 2027 after the Nigeria Football Federation agreed to a record-breaking partnership with German sportswear company Adidas.

Under the reported deal, Adidas will pay the NFF $4.5 million annually in cash, while also supplying equipment worth another $4 million each year for Nigeria’s national teams.

The cash component is estimated at about ?6.1 billion, while the equipment package is valued at approximately ?5.4 billion annually.

The agreement will also give the NFF 20 per cent of sales generated through Adidas stores, potentially providing the federation with an additional source of revenue.

The reported figures make the partnership the biggest kit-supply agreement involving an African football federation in terms of revenue. Nigeria’s annual cash payment is also said to be more than double Morocco’s reported figure.

The deal could provide some financial relief for the NFF, which has faced challenges surrounding the funding and administration of Nigeria’s national teams.

Beyond the Super Eagles, the equipment package is expected to benefit other national teams, including the Super Falcons and the country’s youth sides. The arrangement could reduce the federation’s cost of providing kits and other equipment for training camps, qualifiers and international tournaments.

The NFF could also benefit significantly from the 20 per cent merchandise-sales clause if Adidas succeeds in generating strong demand for Nigeria’s football shirts.

Nigeria has previously demonstrated the commercial appeal of its national-team kits, particularly during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, when the Super Eagles’ Nike shirt attracted widespread global attention.

A similar level of demand for Adidas merchandise could translate into substantial additional revenue for the federation throughout the partnership.

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S’Eagles Trio Score In Clubs Victories

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Super Eagles trio, Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman, were all on the scoresheet in wins for their respective clubs on Saturday, continuing their strong starts to the new season.

Osimhen continued his impressive form as Galatasaray edged Göztepe 3-2 in the Turkish Super Lig.

Göztepe stunned the champions by taking the lead in the 16th minute through Miroshi, before Davinson Sánchez restored parity for the hosts. Osimhen then set up Sara to hand Galatasaray a 2-1 lead, before calmly converting a penalty in the 63rd minute to make it 3-1 and take his season tally to five goals. Göztepe pulled one back late on, but Galatasaray held firm to move to the top of the league table after three matches.

In Spain, Lookman scored his first goal of the season for Atlético Madrid in a 3-1 win over Sevilla, getting on the scoresheet in the 33rd minute after Álex Baena had opened the scoring for the hosts.

In Turkey’s second division, Iheanacho scored and provided an assist for Bursaspor in their win over Kayserispor, taking his involvement to six goals in four games for the club this season.

The Nigerian forward has now scored in every match he has featured in this term, having also been on target against Karagümrük and Igdir FK, and provided an assist in the win over Bodrum FK.

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Ex-internationals, coaches headline FutbolConect summit

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Former internationals, coaches, club owners, scouts and other key stakeholders in Nigerian football are expected to headline the FutbolConect Talent and Club Growth Development Summit 2026, scheduled for Monday, August 31, at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The summit, organised under the theme, “From Grassroots to Stardom,” will focus on talent discovery, club development and ways of creating sustainable opportunities within the football industry.

FutbolConect, which is building a network linking players, clubs, academies and football professionals across borders, is using the event to deepen conversations around access, visibility and growth for African football talent.

According to the organisers, the summit will bring together club owners, scouts, agents, coaches, players, academy representatives, investors and sponsors, among others, to examine practical ways of strengthening the football ecosystem.

Discussions at the event will be anchored on the themes of Connect, Register, Earn and Grow, which the organisers said reflect FutbolConect’s broader objective of creating a more connected and commercially viable pathway for players, clubs and other stakeholders.

Also expected at the summit are FIFA-licensed intermediaries, club representatives and officials from the Nigeria Football Federation, Nigeria National League and Nationwide League One.

The gathering is expected to feature networking and strategic discussions on the future of football development in Nigeria, with particular attention to grassroots talent identification, club growth and opportunities for young players to gain exposure beyond the domestic scene.

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