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Falode applauds Oshoala over Ballon d’Or nomination

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The Chairperson of the Nigeria Football Federation Women Football Committee and NFF Executive Committee member, Aisha Falode, has applauded one of Africa’s most successful and greatest women footballer of all times, Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, following her nomination as one of the top contenders for the Women Ballon d’Or Feminin, for the second time in history in Africa.

Falode, noted that, Asisat’s contributions to the Super Falcons’ team’s excellent performance at the last edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/Newzealand and her consistent topclass performance at club level put the Nigerian striker among the highly rated stars in the world, a situation that earned her the nomination for the Best Player in the World Award.

“For us in Nigeria, this is a big achievement as Asisat remains the only player in Africa, to be nominated for the World’s Women Best Player award.

“In the past, our greatest accolades had been the nomination and winning of the CAF African Women’s awards which Nigeria won a record 12 times by four different players: Mercy Akide, Cynthia Uwak, Perpetua Nkwocha and Asisat Oshoala.

Akide (2001), Nkwocha (2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011) and Cynthia Uwak (2006 and 2007) Asisat has won a record fives times to become the first African to set this prestigious record overtaking Perpetua Nkwocha who won on four occasions. Oshoala won in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022 to emerge the most celebrated African women footballers of all times.

Some years ago, it was Oshoala who broke the African record as the first to be nominated for Ballon d’Or Feminin that was eventually won by her Barca teammate Alexia Putellas.

“It is yet another achievement for Oshoala to be nominated again for the Ballon d’Or Feminin. That’s why the NFF Women’s Football Committee is extending our best wishes for her to win the award. The Nigeria Football Federation is proud of Asisat Oshoala,” Aisha Falode said in Lagos.

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International Friendlies: Omeruo, Iwobi, Osayi-Samuel, Moffi back to Super Eagles

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Head Coach Jose Santos Peseiro has recalled defenders Kenneth Omeruo and Bright Osayi-Samuel, as well as midfielder Alex Iwobi and forward Terem Moffi to the Super Eagles’ squad for this month’s international friendly matches against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique in Portugal. The quartet were absent from the team that demolished Sao Tome and Principe in last month’s 2023 AFCON qualifier in Uyo.

Midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, of Hatayaspor FC of Turkey gets his first-ever invitation, while Peseiro has decided to retain the trio of Francis Uzoho, Adebayo Adeleye and Olorunleke Ojo in goal. Yet-to-be-capped defender Jordan Torunnarigha is also called.

Wilfred Ndidi, who captained the team against Sao Tome and Principe, as well as Raphael Onyedika and forwards Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Taiwo Awoniyi and Kelechi Iheanacho have also been invited.

The Super Eagles take on the Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia in the city of Portimão, Portugal on Friday, 13th October 2023, starting at 5pm before a clash with the Mambas of Mozambique in the same city three days later.

The players are all expected to arrive in Faro, Portugal on Tuesday, 10th October.

Both encounters have been arranged as tune-up games for the Eagles ahead of the commencement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, in which the three-time African champions host Lesotho’s Crocodiles in Uyo on 17th November before travelling away to play Zimbabwe four days later.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC, Cyprus); Olorunleke Ojo (Enyimba FC); Adebayo Adeleye (Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel)

Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey); Jordan Torunarigha (KAA Gent, Belgium); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa FC, Turkey); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Jamilu Collins (Cardiff FC, Wales); Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal)

Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Joe Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Hatayaspor FC, Turkey)

Forwards: Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Victor Osimhen (SSC Napoli, Italy); Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest, England); Terem Moffi (OGC Nice, France); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)

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D’Tigers Storm China On Playing Tour 

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Nigeria Senior Men Basketball team, D’Tigers this morning, left the country for China on a playing tour of games which began this weekend and will end on October 20th. 

 The team which failed in its quest to pick a slot for the 2024 Paris Pre-Olympic Qualifiers held in Lagos, will take part in games across different cities in China. 

Led by Coaches Abdulrahman Mohammed, Baba Jubril and Usman Yakubu, the players on the roster include, Afuwape Michael Okiki, Victor Ezeh, Timothy Kwaor, Ibe Agu, Michael Daramola and Chinedu Chimbou. 

Others are, Wisdom Anyaoha, Nnoruka Francis Junior, Chris Obekpa, Kingsley Onyekachi and Garba Chingka. 

A source within the Nigeria Basketball Federation disclosed that the playing tour is one of the several developmental programmes of the NBBF board led by its President Engr. Musa Kida. 

Adding that it is always a priority of the NBBF to continually develop the local game, while also increasing the pool of basketball talents in the country. 

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Liverpool say VAR error ‘undermined sporting integrity’

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Liverpool have said the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) error that resulted in a goal by Luis Diaz being incorrectly disallowed in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham “undermined sporting integrity.”

Nine-man Liverpool lost after Joel Matip scored an own goal in stoppage time but they should have taken the lead in the first half through Diaz whose goal was ruled out for offside.

VAR failed to overturn the incorrect decision to disallow the goal leading the English referees’ body PGMOL to issue a statement blaming “significant human error” in the Premier League game.

“It is clear that the rules of the game were not applied correctly, which undermined sporting integrity,” Liverpool said in a statement on Sunday.

“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not given to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.”

The PGMOL said disallowing the Diaz goal was a “clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention.”

PGMOL added that it will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.

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