by Emmanuel Atanga | Aug 6, 2024 | Africa, Athletics, Europe, International, Nigeria, Soccer
Super Falcons star Asisat Oshoala expressed her excitement and admiration for Noah Lyles after his stunning victory over Jamaican rival Kishane Thompson to win the Olympic gold in the 100-meter final. Lyles’ triumph marked the USA’s first Olympic men’s 100-meter title in 20 years. Oshoala, a five-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year, celebrated Lyles’ achievement on social media, sharing a post from Bleacher Report with the caption, “He’s him.” Despite her own Olympic disappointment with the Super Falcons, Oshoala continues to follow and support her favorite athletes during the games.
by Emmanuel Atanga | Aug 6, 2024 | Africa, Europe, International, Nigeria, Soccer
Atalanta may halt the potential transfer of Ademola Lookman this summer following an injury to their main striker, Gianluca Scamacca. Lookman has attracted interest from top clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea after his impressive performances for Atalanta, particularly in the UEFA Europa League. However, with Scamacca sidelined for at least six months due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Atalanta may reconsider letting Lookman go, given their need for attacking options ahead of their UEFA Champions League campaign next season.
by Emmanuel Atanga | Aug 6, 2024 | Africa, Europe, International, Nigeria, Soccer
Regina Otu, a versatile midfielder for Nigeria’s Super Falcons, has signed a two-year contract with Turkish club Fenerbahçe SK. The 28-year-old joins on a free transfer after her contract with French club AS Saint-Étienne expired. Otu played in all 20 league games for AS Saint-Étienne last season, scoring one goal, before moving to Fenerbahçe. The club officially welcomed her, expressing their excitement for her future contributions. Otu was also part of Nigeria’s squad for the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and was an alternate player for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
by Emmanuel Atanga | Aug 6, 2024 | Africa, International, Nigeria, Soccer
With the first 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on the horizon, the Super Eagles find themselves without a head coach, leaving them vulnerable ahead of their crucial clash against Benin Republic. Despite the urgency, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has yet to make a key appointment, seemingly repeating a troubling pattern of setting up new coaches to take the fall for their own shortcomings.
Previously, the NFF appointed Finidi George to lead the Super Eagles just before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Endorsed by former NFF President Amaju Pinnick, Finidi was handed the job with little preparation time, leading to a disappointing tenure marked by a loss to Benin Republic and a draw against South Africa, which ended Nigeria’s World Cup aspirations.
Now, as the NFF delays appointing a new coach for the AFCON qualifiers, concerns are growing that they are repeating past mistakes. By hiring someone at the last minute, they are placing an unrealistic burden on the new coach, expecting immediate success without giving them adequate time to understand the team and develop effective strategies.
This ongoing issue highlights deeper systemic problems within the NFF. Instead of addressing their own leadership failures, the federation seems intent on deflecting responsibility, setting up coaches to be scapegoats for their own lack of foresight and planning.
by Emmanuel Atanga | Jul 29, 2024 | Africa, International, Nigeria, Soccer
Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has offered advice to Copa America 2024 winner Enzo Fernandez following a viral racist incident, Sportblog247.com reports.
Enzo Fernandez, who played a key role in Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup victory, joined Chelsea in January 2023 in a £106.8 million transfer from Benfica, signing an eight-and-a-half-year contract. Despite his success on the pitch, Fernandez recently faced backlash for making racist remarks towards French players of African descent during Argentina’s Copa America celebrations.
Fernandez’s comments have caused an uproar in the Chelsea dressing room, leading some teammates to unfollow him on social media. John Obi Mikel addressed the incident on his Obi One podcast, acknowledging the excitement of victory but condemning Fernandez’s behavior.
“It’s a type of behaviour I won’t condone. These players have different stories; you can’t make fun of them until you understand that. None of them chose to be in this situation, and I get that you want to make fun of them, but it is not right,” said Mikel.
Although Fernandez has issued a public apology, Mikel emphasized that the best way to make amends is through his performance on the pitch.
“The only way he can settle this is by ensuring the team starts winning. If you start winning, it changes everything because of the celebration and the hugs. If Enzo comes back, first game and scores a goal, you will see those players going to hug him. They have to go and hug him, they have to go and celebrate with him. Slowly and surely, that brings the team together. The thing is that time is a healer, but Chelsea needs to start winning. They need to have a good start to the season if that needs to go away. If they don’t, it lingers, and it breeds negativity around the whole place, and we don’t want that. We have a bad season. We need to start well by winning,” Mikel concluded.
Fernandez is currently on holiday and not part of Chelsea’s pre-season tour in the United States.
