All the intrigues as Super Eagles number one goalie moves to the English Premier League

Sparta Rotterdam confirmed on their official website on Monday (November 8, 2021) evening that Nigeria number one goalie, Maduka Okoye has agreed on a move to the English Premier League at the end of the 2021/2022 season. 

The 21-year-old shot-stopper who was contracted to Sparta Rotterdam till 2025 will not serve out the contract at the Kasteel. 

Sparta Rotterdam Technical Director, Henk Van Stee confirmed that Maduka Okoye development as a goalkeeper has been very great hence they are willing to allow him to join a top competition that is good for his career.  

“We took over Maduka Okoye transfer-free from Fortuna Dusseldorf in the summer of 2020 and signed until 2025, but both parties knew that an early departure would be very real.” 

“Sparta would prefer to let Maduka go alone to top competition. If Premier League clubs show interest, it will be very difficult for the club, player and agent to postpone a transfer. 

"Then it is important for us to get the best possible conditions for Sparta and we believe that we have succeeded,” Henk told the club official website. 

The intrigues

The club knew they may lose Okoye to the bigger leagues at the end of the season, so they quickly get the Watford deal over the line under the best possible condition for the club, the player and Watford FC.

Part of the conditions for a transfer, in particular, was Maduka Okoye would finish the season at Castle, helping the club to retain their Eredivisie status. 

This will afford him to have more game time before the Africa Cup Of Nations and gain more international exposure, which will help him be in good shape for the number one shirt competition next season at Watford FC before proceeding to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

“Agreement has been reached with Watford and that is important for our selection and sporting objective to remain in the Eredivisie. This is also important for Maduka because then he can gain even more experience at the highest level in the Netherlands and will be the first keeper of Nigeria to go to the Africa Cup in January," said Van Stee. 

The arrangement Okoye himself describe as  'perfect' both at the sporting level and for financial reasons though the parties involved agreed that the financial details of the deal won't be pronounced for now.

" Of course I am very proud that I can play in the Premier League, but also that I can play at Het Kasteel for our fans until the end of the season. Of you,rse, I wanted this, but I also want to close it well with Sparta and that is why this is the best choice.” Okoye the club website. 

Henk concluded on the non-disclosure of the transfer fees.  “The only thing I can say about it is that it is an amount that cannot be refused for Sparta for an outgoing transfer. In any case, Maduka must finish the season on a rental basis at Sparta.”

CAFWCL: All eyes on coach Okon as Rivers Angels face tricky Mamelodi Sundowns

Rivers Angels coach, Edwin Okon has given assurances that all is well in the camp of the team now but he must away to galvanise to get the needed result on the pitch on Tuesday evening to overcome the setback the team suffered in their first match at the ongoing CAF Women Champions League, CAFWCL. 

Rivers Angels must negotiate a victory but they face a tricky tie against Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Women Champions League on Tuesday by 7 pm in Cairo otherwise the Nigerian champion will be kicked out of the competition.  

Nigeria women football was dealt a big blow when Rivers Angels failed to lift a glove against AS FAR of Morrocco in the game played on Saturday as Sanna Mssoudy three goals make a joke of Rivers Angels' favourite tag. 

But they have a chance to bounce back and change the narrative as they confront Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in their second match on Tuesday. 

The recent rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa in women football will be rekindled and it makes the tie a very trickish one for the Nigerian side. 

Rivers Angels are rooted at the bottom after matchday one AS FAR tops the group with three points followed by Mamelodi Sundowns both sides only separated on goal difference while Vihiga is third. 

The Nigerian champions need to win their next two games to stand a chance of qualifying from the group starting with a win against Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday, ( 8 November 2021)  but how the Nigeria Champion lost the first game didn't offer significant hope. 

The coach, Edwin Okon singled out the late arrival of the team to the venue of the competition in Cairo after the loss as an excuse for the no-contest witnessed on Saturday but no excuse will be tenable if the team fails to win against Mamelodi Sundowns.  

Okon promised a better performance when he said  "For now all is well with the team, we've rested enough & also had our first official training yesterday" said Okon.  

The coach knows the players are low in confidence and that he must do all to lift their spirits and be ready mentally for the job at land.

"My job is to pick up their spirit, let them know that the game is over and recover for the next matches,” Okon said after the match.

"We will try to correct the lapses we had in our first game and ensure we give our fans back home a better performance tomorrow." The chief scout of the Super Falcons told the media ahead of the game against the South African Champion. 

All eyes will be on coach Edwin Okon to make all these changes and restore Nigeria's pride in Africa women football. 

A victory against Mamelodi Sundowns will not only keep the Angels in the competition it will also be sweet revenge to the humiliation suffered by Super Falcons in the hands of the Bayana Bayana at the Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos.

CAF Women Champions League: Will River Angels ride on Super Falcons' dominance to conquer?

Rivers Angels of Nigeria will have to battle the pressure of Super Falcons' dominance in Africa football to win as the maiden CAF Women Champions League begins in Cairo. 

The Super Falcons has won nine out of the eleven editions of the Africa Women Cup Of Nations ( AWCON) to show the gap between  Nigeria and the rest of Africa in terms of women football. 

This rich history of Super Falcons on the continent will no doubt put an extra burden on Rivers Angel to go all out and conquer as they represent Nigeria in the inaugural competition. 

The Angels' coach Edwin Okon, understands this fact and he is not settling for less. 

The 51-year-old gaffer has set a minimum target of winning the trophy at the end of the three weeks competition which kicks off on Friday, November 5, 2021, in Cairo.

“Our target is the title as we’ve prepared well for the tournament. My calculation and focus are on winning the trophy. I have made the players understand the burden of the challenge on us". 

The club has dominated Nigeria Women football over the years and will be competing with intimidating records of having won the NWFL Six times and the Federation Cup Eight times all in a space of Eleven years.  

The team from the oil-rich state has been a great conveyor belt for players to get into the national teams. 

The club boasts of Perpetual Nwokcha and Asisat Oshoala as former players both of whom have won the Africa Women footballer of the year a combined 8 times and plenty of others who have helped the Super Falcons dominate the continent over the years. 

Winning the maiden edition will be a good way to further extend Nigeria's dominance of women football on the continent beyond just the Super Falcons. 

It will also it will boost the club's pedigree beyond being just a local champion. 

No doubt they are one of the favourites to win the trophy. 

However, they have to compete with seven other top teams on the continent to actualise their dream as well live up to the rich history of Nigerian women football on the continent.  

 

The Nigerian Champion will put their credentials to test first against AS FAR of Morrocco on Saturday ( 6 November 2021) by 7 pm. 

An opening day victory is key, this will restore confidence and reassurance as the team's ego was deflated by Hassacas of Ghana in the final of the WAFU B qualifying competition when they lost unexpectedly by 3-1 in Accra. 

And winning their first game against the Moroccan champion will also put the team in good stead navigating group B which has Kenyan side Vihiga Queens and  Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies of South Africa. 

A top-two finish in the group will set up a semi-final clash with any of Hassacas of Ghana, Wadi Degla FC of Egypt, As Mande of Mali and Malabo Kings of Equatorial Guinea, all group A of the competition. 

Hassacas FC defeated Malabo Kings by 3-1  and Wasi Degla defeated As Mande with the same scoreline to shoot into an early lead, after the conclusion of group A matchday 1 as both sides left no doubt they are in Cairo for business.  

If River Angel's can convert the pressure from the Super Falcons dominance on the continent to a source of strength and inspiration, the team have enough in history and pedigree as a backup to go all the way 

Kamaru Usman ready to fight Isreal Adesanya

 

UFC Welterweight champion, kamaru Usman is ready to fight Isreal Adesanya but not for cheap, as the Nigerian Nightmare will only entertain to compete with Isreal for a fight purse not less than a hundred million dollars. 

Kamaru who is preparing for his fifth title defence against Colby Covington in UFC 268 billed for the MGM Arena in New York on Saturday, November 6, 2021, told ESPN about making a U-turn on his initial stand of never to fight Isreal Adesanya. 

“Adesanya is my guy, that’s something me and him would have to discuss. There’s a difference between fighting and competing,” Usman told ESPN during UFC 268 fight week. 

The Auchi born then went to name a price for the fight between brothers to happen.

 

“If I and he decide we want to compete, and the UFC is throwing 100 million dollars at us, then we’ll make it happen,” said Kamaru Usman. 

This is a sharp contrast to what he told reporters in Lagos the last he visited when he prefer two Nigerians holding a world title to having one Nigerian holding two world titles. 

 “I don’t see myself fighting him. Having two belts in Nigeria is better than just having one guy hold two belts. There’s no desire there. That’s my guy. He’s special.” Usman told Journalists in Lagos. 

Isreal Adesanya presently holds the middleweight world title in the UFC.

UFC 268: Time, how to watch, purse, undercards as Kamaru Usman set for another title defence on Saturday

The ' Nigerian Nightmare' Kamaru Usman makes a return to the Octagon on Saturday, November 6, 2020, in UFC 268 for another title defence in 2021.  

The Welterweight titleholder will face Colby Covington at the MGM Arena at the UFC 268 main event on Saturday night. 

The fight which is the second meeting between the fighters will be Kamaru Usman's third title defence in 2021 alone and it will take his title defence to five in total since he defeated Tyron Woodley in 2019 to win the title.  

The 32-year-old Nigerian American recorded a TKO over Colby in his first title defence in 2019 as Colby retired after Kamaru broke his jaw in the final seconds of the fifth round of the keenly contested fight. 

Kamaru has since gone on a roller coaster to defeat Jorge Masvidal twice and Gibert Burns once with TKOs and Knock Outs while Covington recorded around five TKO over Tyron Woodley in the solitary fight he had since he was defeated by Kamaru.

All is now set for their second meeting as both fighters will go head to head in the octagon for the Welterweight belt. 

Time of the event 

The start time for the main event depends on the duration of the undercards but the earliest time both fighters can step on the Octagon is midnight E.T which is 5 am West African Time on Sunday. 

How to watch 

The fight can be streamed live on ESPN via Pay Per View. 

It will also be live on Super Sports, DSTV in Nigeria and on some live sports apps on the internet. 

The Purse  

No official release of the purse for the fight but the last time Kamaru dought he took home an improved purse of 1.5 million dollars and he expected not to settle for a lesser amount this time.  

Undercards 

Apart from the Usman/Covington2, other mouth-watering encounters make UFC 268 a special night. 

The co-main event will see UFC women’s Strawweight champion Rose Najamunas, defend her title against former champion and No. 1-seeded contender, Zhang Weili. 

Another fight to look out for on the night is the fight between is the PPV opener, the banger between Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler, the fact that the winner of the fights may have a title shot next, makes it a fight to follow.

It is time to rebuild and reboot' - Abdul Sule, President, All Nigeria Football Players Union (ANFPU)

Newly appointed President of the All Nigerian Football Players Union (ANFPU) Abdul Sule has urged all present and retired footballers to demonstrate core values that would help them remain relevant during and after playing the game of soccer. 

Sule who was a former Super Eagles player was appointed as President of the body, in a well-organised ceremony held in Abuja on Wednesday, which was attended by ex-footballers, and top NFF Officials, including the Second-Vice President of the NFF, Shehu Dikko.

"It is time to rebuild and reboot the players union association in our country. It requires vision, trust, knowledge and courage. ANFPU is a players-led organisation, which demonstrates the values of ensuring a better life for the present and retired footballers in Nigeria.' Sule Said. 

"As a former player, who has played both in the local league, the national team and also abroad. I believe I have a deep understanding of the player's position within the game and will contribute significantly to the growth of the organization.

"This historic initiative will provide courage for all footballers in the country. Their voices will be heard and together, we can think of ways to develop, and protect players rights, both male and female.

"The association also aims at inspiring the younger players for more achievements and restoring hope to the retired footballers. 

"Generally, we are looking at galvanizing the football playing community, through a strategic support system that would bring a new life into the Nigerian Football environment. 

"We have so many opportunities, partnerships with the club owners and also with the Football Federation, as we are affiliated with them and have all it takes to be a union. 

"We have started work and are willing to accept players who are eligible to join the association. We are poised at helping the current and ex-players achieve their dreams. This is the main motive behind the association.

UFC 268: Khabib Nurmagomedov backs Kamaru Usman to smash Covington

 

UFC Welterweight champion has received Khabib Nurmagimedov's backing to go all out to defeat Colby Covington on Saturday, in the UFC 268. 

On a Face-Time call, shared by Usman on his social media page, Khabib told Kamaru to smash Colby Covington and defend his belt. 

Khabib said:  “My energy with you, brother… Honestly, I want him to smash this guy like he did the first time. Let’s go, Kamaru. Pound-for-pound best in the world. Kamaru Usman, Nigerian Nightmare, African Power. Let’s go, brother. I’m with you.”  

The ' Nigerian Nightmare' will take on Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 268 at the MGM arena in New York on Saturday.

The Nigerian - American will be defending his title for the fifth time since 2019 when he defeated Tyron Woodley to win the title. 

This will be the second fight between the team fighters, as Kamaru broke Colby's jaw and stopped him in the fifth round through TKO in his first title defence.