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Solskjaer slams Harry Maguire “disgrace” amid Man Utd treatment

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has defended Harry Maguire, branding the “abuse” the Manchester United star is receiving a “disgrace”.

Solskjaer was in charge when United signed Maguire from Leicester for £80m in 2019, a move which made him the most expensive defender of all time. Solskjaer also appointed him captain just five months after Maguire joined, with the Norwegian impressed by both his leadership skills and performances.

However, Maguire has struggled for form in recent seasons and was stripped of the captaincy by Erik ten Hag over the summer after falling behind the likes of Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof in the pecking order.

England boss Gareth Southgate has kept faith in the 30-year-old despite his lack of minutes for United and launched a staunch defence of Maguire after he was jeered by Scotland fans after coming on as a substitute in England’s 3-1 win.

“I have never known a player to be treated the way he is – not from the Scottish fans but by our own commentators, pundits, whatever it is,” Southgate said. “They have created something that is beyond anything I have ever seen.

“He has been an absolute stalwart for us in the second most successful England team in decades and he’s been a key part of that. I’ve talked about the importance of our senior players and every time he goes on the field the resilience he shows, the balls he shows is absolutely incredible.”

And Solskjaer has echoed Southgate’s comments, telling the Athletic : ” Harry Maguire – it’s a disgrace that he’s getting so much abuse. I feel sorry for him, but he’s a strong lad and I hope it turns for him.

“He raised our defence big time when he arrived and lifted the mood around the place.” United did accept an offer from West Ham for Maguire this summer, but the move ultimately fell apart and the defender says he is determined to fight for his place at Old Trafford.

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Nigeria National League Holds Monthly Award Ceremony In Abuja

The Nigeria National League has concluded plans to organize its monthly award ceremony for players and teams in the league on Tuesday, 15^th April in the Federal Capital, Abuja.

Chief Operating Officer of the NNL, Danlami Alanana, told thenff.com that the event will commence at 2pm at the West-Point Hotel, Zone 7, Wuse.

Award categories include Best Behaved Team of the Month, Best Coach, Best Goalkeeper, Highest Goal Scorer, Best Goal, Best Referee and Most Valuable Player.

Crown FC’s Oladeji Joshua has been selected as the best goalkeeper, having kept clean sheets in three matches, while Abdullahi Umar of Kebbi United FC is the most valuable player with four goals, among these a hat-trick scored against Kada Warriors – which happened to be the first hat-trick notched in the season.

Umar also takes the highest scorer’s gong, while Solution FC’s Coach Emmanuel Duetsch is best coach and Gateway United is the best-behaved team, having remained without any form of caution in the period under review.

Gateway United’s Babatunde Taofeek notched the goal of the season, and Ogunfolaju Joshua from Osun State is the best referee of the month.

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NFF Not Owing Late ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu – Sanusi

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has decried statements in a section of the social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to former Nigeria captain and coach, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, who died on Saturday.

Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF was owing the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu. During the first term of the Board headed by Mr. Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.

“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”

Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents. “As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”

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NDDC committed to developing athletes discovered at Niger Delta Sports Festival

A new approach to grassroots sports development will see athletes discovered at the ongoing Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) undergo periodical camping where scientific methods of training would be applied.

Sir Itiako Ikpokpo, the Co-Chairman of the Main Organising Committee (MOC) of the festival, dropped the hint at a media parley with journalists covering the games and said over 60 athletes have already been spotted as at Day 4.

“This festival is not about who came first or who won gold. Our scouts are looking out for hints of potential, quality that can be groomed for future success,” Ikpokpo responded to a question about objectives of the festival.

He said the scouts made up of coaches, former athletes and scouts have so far submitted 64 names and most of them were not those that came first or second.

“We seek to set up camps for the identified athletes with a view to putting them through scientific research-based training supervised by certified coaches,” added Ikpokpo who is the lead consultant for the project.

“The real work is not this festival, it is to design and implement the plan to nurture the talents discovered here to go on and replace those who have been representing Nigeria,” he added.

Sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as part of its mandate to improve living conditions of people of the nine mandate states, the NDSF had about 3,000 athletes and 500 officials competing in 17 sports.

It began on April 1 and will end on April 8 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.