Amuzie begins training with Sampdoria

Dream Team VI defender, Stanley Amuzie, trained with his new Sampdoria team mates for the first time on Tuesday.

Amuzie joined Marco Giampaolo’s side for an undisclosed fee from Olhanense last week, Goal reports.

After passing his medicals on Monday, the defender joined new signing Luka Krajnc at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, to train with the team.

He could feature in Saturday’s Serie A clash with AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

Rohr picks Kalaba, Sunzu as Zambia key players

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, has picked skipper Rainford Kalaba and France-based Stoppila Sunzu as the players to watch when Nigeria visits Zambia for next month’s World Cup qualifier.

Nigeria opens its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign on October 3 in Zambia.

Rohr said he has good information on the former African Nations Cup (AFCON) champions.

“They (Zambia) have some really good players – Kalaba is the best. He scores goals always for the team and I also know Sunzu very well because he plays in France,” africanFootball.com quoted Rohr as saying during a visit to the Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi, in Abuja.

He assured that Super Eagles will prepare very well for the World Cup qualifiers because “we have to be in Russia.”

“We will need all our best players to be at their very best,” he said.

“We had a good list for the Tanzania match but a couple of players were injured and we will like to look at those ones as well.

“The focus is to strengthen the spine of the team and ensure we can beat any team.

“The confidence has not been there because the team failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. But when results start to come, the confidence will return.”

Sanusi pledged full support for the coach and his backroom staff.

“We have immense confidence in you and your staff. We will not dabble into your technical area,” he said.

“Our responsibility is to provide the right atmosphere to make you succeed. We see that you are a gentleman but will not take your simplicity for granted.

Chelsea player Diego Costa confuses fans with this photo of himself and his brother

Diego Costa shared this photo on Instagram of himself and his brother Jair Costa, but many fans are confused as to which is the Chelsea striker and which is his brother as they both share striking similarities. Can you differentiate between the pair?

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Niger Republic consoles U-17 Golden Eaglets

Nigeria's Ambassador to Niger Republic has consoled Nigeria's Under 17 Golden Eaglets team after they lost out on U-17 2017 Nations cup qualification over the weekend and the match was marred by irregularities, violence and media bullying.

The NFF, through it's General secretary on Monday alleged that 
Nigeria's Under 17 team were wrongly officiated and that cameras of their media personnel were seized at the stadium in Niger.


The Diplomat offered the consolatory message to the Nigerian contingent during a dinner he hosted for the team at the Royal Palace Hotel after the ill fated 3-1 loss to the Junior Menas of Niger during the weekend..

"It is unfortunate that this kind of things still happen in football but I want you to forget about this and forge ahead in your careers because you are just starting out," he advised. "I want to wish you a successful trip back to Nigeria and best wishes in your future endeavors."

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, thanked the ambassador and embassy officials for support given to the Nigerian delegation to Niamey.

"Though we are not happy with the outcome of the match as well as the treatment by the Nigerienne people, we thank you so much for the amount of support given to us," he explained." Whatever is destined must happen, but I want to assure you that we would monitor these boys in conjunction with their coaches for future engagements. Thank you so much."

Source: theNFF

Okagbare faces tough hurdle in 200m semis

• Drawn in same heat with Schippers, Thompson

Reigning double Commonwealth Games sprint queen Blessing Okagbare will need to run faster than her 22.23 seconds personal best to stand a chance of making the 200m final when the semi-final is run at 2am on Wednesday August 17,2016.

The seven-time Nigerian 100m queen came in first (22.71s) in her first round heat on Monday, but faces another heartbreak in the semi-final after she was drawn in the same heat as reigning world champion Dafne Schippers of Holland and Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson, who came second behind Schippers in Beijing at the IAAF Worlds last year and only early Sunday morning ran 10.71 seconds to win the 100m gold at the on-going Olympic in Rio De Janeiro,Brazil.

Also drawn into Okagbare’s first semi-final heat are USA’s Deajah Stevens, who holds a personal season’s best of 22.25 seconds and Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who incidentally came second (22.77s) behind Okagbare in the first round heat.

The Nigerian will be fighting for either the two automatic slots on offer for the final which Schippers and Thompson, who both ducked inside 22 seconds to make the podium in Beijing last year are favoured to get or the two fastest losers’ spots which is open to athletes in all the three semi-final heats.

In the other semi-final heats,Cote D’Ivoire duo of Muriel Ahoure and Marie-Jose Talou will also strive to make the final.

Ahoure will be running in the third semi-final while Talou,who came fourth in the 100m final early Sunday morning and set a 22.31 seconds personal best in the first round heat Monday afternoon will be running in the second semi-final.

Okagbare,it would be recalled failed to qualify for the 100m semi-finals on Saturday and has not run inside 11 seconds so far this year.

Meanwhile, Nigeria continued her bad run in track and field as the duo of Olu Olamigoke and Tosin Oke failed to qualify for the finals of the triple jump event.

Olamigoke expectedly failed to make his Olympics debut a memorable one after he could not hop,step and jump beyond 16.10m,85cm short of the 16.95m qualifying standard set for the event.

Oke on his part did not fulfil expectations after he too could only jump 16.47m to place 16th in his qualifying group. 

Also out of the Olympics is quatermile barrier runner Miles Ukaoma who failed to hurdle past the first round.

The USA-based Nigerian came in fifth (49.84s) in the very first heat of the 400m hurdles to wave bye to the Rio Games.

In the early hours of Tuesday another 400m hurdler, Ogoegbunam Amaka will attempt to see if she could qualify for the semi-final in her first appearance at the Games and possibly go a step further by equalling national record holder,Ajoke Muizat Odumosu’s final placing four years ago in London.

Also bidding to make her debut an unforgetable one is discus thrower Chinwe Okoro who will be aiming to improve the 61.58m national record she set early this year to 62m, the qualfying standard set by the IAAF for the event.

I have no problem with Alex Iwobi – Siasia

National  Under-23 team  coach Samson Siasia says he understands why Arsenal have blocked Alex Iwobi from playing for his country at the Rio Olympics.

The 20-year-old was named in the 35-man provisional squad last week having expressed his desire to play in Brazil.

With the football due to start on  August 13,  it would mean Iwobi missing the start of the Premier League season.

“I’ve no problem with a boy I love like a son for missing out,” Siasia told BBC Sport from the USA.

“I think some people in the media just love to sensationalise and fabricate stuff.”

Siasia says Iwobi, who secured a first team spot for Arsenal towards the end of the season, may have had his Olympics dreams shattered but must look on the brighter side.

“He’s a smart, passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated boy but the fact that it’s not a FIFA  tournament Arsenal are within their rights to stop him,”

“Alex has a chance to establish himself in the Arsenal first team and if he could manage that this season then it will outweigh the potential gold medal.

“His father  (Chuka Iwobi) has made strong efforts, the boy has done his bit as well to be with us but Arsenal pays his wages and makes the calls.

“His progress and success at club level will only benefit Nigeria ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, I want people to lay off Alex and rally support for the team in Rio.

Iwobi’s agent Emeka Obasi admits the player would have benefited immensely from his involvement in this summer’s Olympics but there will be another chance in the future.

“We held talks with Arsenal to see if it would be possible but in the end the decision has been made and we just have to move on from it,” Obasi told BBC Sport.

“Of course I think Alex would have gained a lot from a competition where the likes of Barcelona’s Neymar want to play in. I’m sure the standard will be high and as I said Alex was keen to go, but it’s not his decision to make.

“I’m sure there will be another opportunity to represent Nigeria at the Olympics in future.”

Nigeria, who have been drawn in Group B of the Rio Games alongside Sweden, Colombia and Japan, boast a proud Olympics record.