Sports
Bonus Row, Unrest Unsettle Super Eagles
A cricketer battling for honour at Indomie Secondary School Championship in Port Harcourt, Rivers State recently
It has emerged that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and members of the Super Eagles squd, are yet to reach an agreement on the bonuses the players will be paid at the 2014 World Cup.
According to sources close to the team, “From conversations and exclusive with Joseph Yobo, Eagles are unified as team boards plane to Brazil with bonus issue (hopefully) settled”.
Although the federal government has approved a $12.2m budget for the tournament, the Federation’s officials could not conclude a deal with the Brazil-bound players.
Other African countries seem to have sorted out allowances with their players. The Indomitable lions of Cameroon will get $104,000 each, while the Black Stars of Ghana will receive $75,000 each.
Meanwhile, Stephen Keshi had to come in to settle a feud between the Super Eagles duo of John Mikel Obi and Emmanuel Emenike.
According to reports, the two senior players have been at loggerheards since the goalless draw against Greece last week, but after keshi’s intervention, they both hugged and shook hands.
“Keshi had a family chat with the boys yesterday and in the meeting he made it known to Mikel and Emenike that their rift is unsettling the team”, a source said.
“Äfter a heated exchange both players poured out their minds after which Keshi settled them but not without getting involved in a shouting game with one of them”.
At the end both players shook hands, hugged and even ended up in each other’s room chatting before going to bed, it’s over thanks to Keshi spotting it early”.
It is also understood that other squad players were given the chance to pour out their minds, so that every dispute could be settled ahead of Nigeria’s participation at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The Eagles face Iran in their opening Group F match on Monday.
However, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Aminu Magari, is confident the Super Eagles will impress at the World Cup despite their recent struggles in friendly games.
Maigari arrived on Monday in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the 64th Fifa Congress billed for yesterday and today. The Congress precedes the 20th Fifa World Cup finals, which kicks-off in the same city tomorrow, with host Brazil clashing with Croatia.
Maigari, who was with the Super Eagles at their final training camp in the United States before flying to Brazil for the important gathering of the world’s football administrators, said in Sao Paulo on arrival that he was satisfied with the Super Eagles’ build-up to the tournament and is confident the African champions will impress at the finals.
“I want to assure Nigerians at home and in the diaspora that the Super Eagles will not disappoint in Brazil,” Maigari said.
“For sure, our people would have wanted the team to win the matches against Italy, Mexico, Scotland, Greece and USA. But we drew the first four and lost the last one.
“I have spoken with the head coach and he is optimistic that his boys will be ready for the finals. The earlier draws, and the loss to Team USA have afforded our boys a lot of lessons, which will be useful against Iran in the first match and subsequently,” he added.
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.
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.
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.
